Ravindra Kaushik (11 April 1952 – 21 November 2001) was an Indian Research and Analysis Wing agent who spied for India from 1975 until he was captured in 1983. Also known as The Black Tiger, Kaushik is considered as one of India's greatest spies. Having successfully infiltrated the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...

and risen to the rank of major, he was exposed after a botched communication attempt by another operative. Arrested and interrogated, he was sentenced to death in 1985, later commuted to life imprisonment. He spent 16 years in various prisons and died in 2001 while incarcerated.

Early life

Ravindra Kaushik was born in Sri Ganganagar,

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

on 11 April, 1952. His father, J. M. Kaushik, was an

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

officer; his mother Amla Devi died in 2006. He graduated from S. D. Bihani P. G. College, Sri Ganganagar, earning a B.Com. Kaushik was also involved with theatre acting and debates while in college when he was recruited by the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).

Recruitment in the Research and Analysis Wing

Kaushik was trained in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

for two years to be an

undercover A cover in foreign, military or police human intelligence or counterintelligence is the ostensible identity and role or position in an infiltrated organization assumed by a covert agent during a covert operation. Official cover In espionage, a ...

operative in Pakistan. He was also trained to live as a

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

and was taught the

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

language. Being from Sri Ganganagar, a city near

's border with

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, although he was native to Bagri, a local tonal language of

Rajasthani Rajasthani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Rajasthan, a state of India * Rajasthani languages, a group of Indic languages spoken there * Rajasthani people, the native inhabitants of the state * Rajasthani architecture, Indian ar ...

, which is predominantly spoken in Sri Ganganagar and Hanumangarh districts, he was also well versed in Punjabi, which is widely understood in Punjab (India) and Pakistan as well. In 1975, at the age of 23, he was sent to Pakistan.

Activities in Pakistan

Kaushik converted to

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, underwent

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...

and was given the cover name "Nabi Ahmed Shakir". After successfully getting admission in

Karachi University The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

, he completed his LL.B. After his graduation, he joined the

as a commissioned officer and was eventually promoted to the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. He married a local girl named Amaanat and fathered a boy, who died in 2012–2013. From 1979 to 1983, Kaushik worked as a Pakistani army officer, sending valuable information to R&AW. He was given the title of 'The Black Tiger' by then

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen Union Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers, despite the president of ...

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

Death and aftermath

In September 1983, R&AW sent a low-level operative, Inyat Masih, to make contact with Kaushik. But Masih was exposed by the Joint Counter-Intelligence Bureau of Pakistan's

Inter-Services Intelligence The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is the premier Pakistani Intelligence community, intelligence agency of Pakistan. It is responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing any information from around the world that is deemed relevant t ...

and blew Kaushik's cover. Kaushik was captured, and tortured for two years at an interrogation center in

Sialkot Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...

. He was sentenced to death in 1985; his sentence was later commuted to a life term by the

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan (; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the Judiciary of Pakistan, judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance witPart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it h ...

. He was kept in various jails in several cities, including

, Kot Lakhpat and in

Mianwali Mianwali (Saraiki language, Saraiki, ) city in Mianwali Tehsil is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. The Largest cities of Pakistan, 81st most populous city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse popu ...

jail, for 16 years. He managed to secretly send letters to his family in India, which revealed his poor health and the trauma he faced in Pakistani jails. In one of his letters, he wrote: In November 2001, he died of pulmonary tuberculosis and

heart disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is any disease involving the heart or blood vessels. CVDs constitute a class of diseases that includes: coronary artery diseases (e.g. angina pectoris, angina, myocardial infarction, heart attack), heart failure, ...

in Central Jail Mianwali in Pakistan. According to Kaushik's family, the

Indian government The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...

had refused to recognise him and had made no effort to help him. Kaushik's family claimed that the storyline of the Bollywood film '' Ek Tha Tiger'' released in 2012 was based on the life of Kaushik, and asked for credit in the movie titles for Kaushik. But the director, Kabir Khan, denied their claim.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaushik, Ravindra Indian expatriates in Pakistan 1952 births 2001 deaths India–Pakistan relations Indian people imprisoned abroad Indian people who died in prison custody Indian spies Pakistan Army officers People of the Research and Analysis Wing Foreign nationals imprisoned in Pakistan Prisoners who died in Pakistani detention People from Rajasthan University of Karachi alumni Spies who died in prison custody People convicted of espionage in Pakistan Research and Analysis Wing activities in Pakistan Tuberculosis deaths in Pakistan 21st-century deaths from tuberculosis Infectious disease deaths in Punjab, Pakistan Indian prisoners sentenced to death Indian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Prisoners sentenced to death by Pakistan Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Pakistan Converts to Islam from Hinduism Military spies

Early life

Recruitment in the Research and Analysis Wing

Activities in Pakistan

Death and aftermath

See also

Further reading

References